I’ve spent years searching for the perfect skin care products. While I’ve accepted I’ll never have perfect skin I think I’ve finally found a great bunch of products that have done wonders for my skin. I’m no beauty blogger but I’m a big lover of great products that don’t cost the earth. So welcome to my highstreet skin care routine.
Obviously everyone’s skin is different and what works for me won’t work for everyone but as a bit of background I’ve got combination, sensitive skin. My t-zone is oily but I also suffer with dry patches especially around my eyebrows, mouth and nose. I get cystic acne around my jawline especially on my Pill free weeks. My skin is easily irritated and can feel tight and uncomfortable.
Cleanser
The only cleanser I now use morning and evening is Ultrabland by Lush. It’s tag line of ‘ultra-simple, ultra-effective’ could not sum this product up any better. I’d been wanting to try Ultrabland for years and finally in January it became part of my routine. I deeply regret not buying this a long time ago because this is the main product I credit in turning my skin around. The thick, oily balm takes a bit of getting used to and I definitely panicked that it’d cause my skin to break out even more. But I can honestly say this cleanser has been nothing short of a miracle worker for me. My dry patches are less prominent, my skin is very rarely tight and uncomfortable, my blemishes have decreased dramatically and the ones that do pop up seem to heal quicker. I don’t think I’ll ever use any other cleanser now.
An honorable mention in the cleanser category has to go to Peaches and Clean by Soap and Glory which is fantastic for removing makeup. Its a cleansing milk and I find it better for removing mascara as it’s not as thick as Ultrabland which can drag over the eyes a bit.
Toner
By far the most expensive part of my skincare routine is toning and that’s because I love the cult product, Glow Tonic by Pixi. I seriously think it’s worth spending your money on and I’ve been using it for years. When money’s a bit tight I do think Superdrug’s version, Naturally Radiant Glycolic Toner is a great alternative, especially when it’s on offer, which it often is at £3. However I think I’ll always go back to the Pixi version because I just love how it makes my skin look at feel. I use around 3 times a week to keep my skin looking and feeling smooth.
Eye Cream
I’m not particularly loyal to any one brand when it comes to things like but my current eye cream is the Mizon Collagen Power Firming Eye Cream. This one has quite a nice consistency that leaves my eye area feeling for moisturised. I can’t really comment on its effectiveness on wrinkles as I don’t really have any at the moment! To be honest, this is the part of my routine I really need to get better at as I always forget to use eye cream.
Serum and Moisturiser
When it comes to face serum, I’m a long time lover of Aldi’s Lacura range. My mum got me into this years and years ago and I don’t think I’ll ever use another serum, as long as Aldi keep making this stuff. Unfortunately I can’t find it on their website but it’s around £4 for a 50ml and it a little goes a long way so it lasts a long time too. It gives my skin an extra hydration boost without it feeling oily.
As for daytime moisturiser, I love Garnier’s Natural Rose Water Moisturiser for sensitive skin. I does have a slight rose perfume smell to it, which super sensitive skin might not get on board with but even my delicate skin loves it. It provides a really good amount of hydration, doesn’t break me out and doesn’t make my skin overly oily.
My nighttime moisturiser is the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Renewing Night Cream. Again this has a fruity fragrance to it which I actually really like. It’s quite a thick cream but works wonders overnight to give me super soft skin. This is on offer quite a lot of the time as well making it a true bargain.
Treatments
Finally, there’s a couple of other bits I use when necessary such as the Lush Grease Lightning Spot Treatment. This does dry spots out but works really well at reducing swelling and the cooling gel is nice on any painful cystic spots.
When I’m in need of some extra moisture I really like to use The Ordinary Rose Hip Oil. I’ve loved Rose hip oil for years and I’ve previously used the Trilogy and Pai versions. The Ordinary one is at least £10 cheaper than the other brands and is the exact same product. I highly recommend adding rose hip oil to your skin care routine as it’s great for adding moisture, smoothing out fine lines and improving skin texture, tone and pigmentation.
When it comes to face masks I’m really not fussed about what I use. My favourites are pretty much anything by Lush and the peeling masks by Montagne Jeunesse.
Overall I like to keep my routine fairly simple rather than piling on a ton of products. I’m so happy to finally find a routine that works and I’ll honesty I can’t see me swapping out any of these products for a while, why mess with it if it works?!
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